Securing device for axle bearings



July 2, 1929. :1. s. M WHIRTER 1.719436 7 SECURING DEVICE FOR AXLEBEARINGS Filed July 29, 1924 *Wm B A'ITO EYS' m ma July 2, 1929, jUNITED STATES "PATENT OFFICE,

JO N s. mwninrnn; or wnsrronr, oommorrcu'r.

siicunmo nnvrcn en. we BEARINGS.

' Application am July 29, 1924. serial no. vaaszs;

This inyention-relates to' devices for seaxles, shafts, or the like.. a

The object of the invention is to provide means which are simpleand.efiicient for sc curing bearing sleeves in journal boxes.

A further object of the invention is to provide means to expand ortighten the lining or bearing 'sleevesof journal bearings and,

at the same time, hold the same efficiently against rotativedisplacement within the tion through a journal box and its lining.

sleeve-showing a form of expanding and securing device for the sleeve,embodying the principles of my invention wherein a screw actuated wedgeblock'is employed to tighten or expand and'to lock the sleeve.

Fi 2 is a view in sectlon on arrows.

3 is a detached detail -view.of the wedge member employedinthestruc'ture.

Y a 5 journa ed in the bearing sleeve, such axle is.

the same it occurs shown in'Fi 1 and-2.

The same partis designated by reference .--I-num eral whereverthroughout theseveral views. t It is aeommoin'gracticeto employ'brasses,linings prsIe'e'vesi-or jonrnal boxes or bear.- ings of ail flyshl-ftsor the like, the lining of sleeve formin the surface or hearing contactof the air e or shaft within the journal box-or housing. It is also acommon practice, particularly in the case .of motors em- "ployed todrive street and'other railway cars,

to form one part of the bore in which the lining or sleeve-is received,in the motor 7 ing the operation of the motor.

frame and" the other part of such bore in a cap which is bolted tothemotor frame, and to mount in said bore the lining or hearing sleeve,or the sections composing the'same,

if of the split type or the sectibnal type. In assembling the lining orsleeve, whether of i I the split,-.sectional, or .other'type, in itsseat, or in the bore above referred to, and in order to facilitate suchassembly, it is sometimes curing bearing sleeves'in journal boxes for;

, the line 2, F1g'. 1, looking in the direction of the sary the practiceto employ a lining or sleeve having a sligh 1y less exterior diameterthan the interior diameter of the bore in which the lining 0r sleeve isto be received. It is very important and desirable that the bearmgsleeve or lining be held rigidly against axial rotatlvge dis lacement ormovement w1th1n 1ts seat in t e housing bore, and this is partlcularlynecessary where the lining is made to fit loosely in the bore tofacilitate slipping 1t into place. Any looseness of the bearing sleevewithin its seating bore'causes rapid wear on the outer surface of thesleeve as well as the surface of. the bore within which the sleeve isseated. This latter trouble is particularly objectionable for. thereason that any enlargement of the sleeve seating bore makes itdiflicult, if not impossible, for

a new sleeve, when substituted therein for refplacement of a wornsleeve, to sufliciently compensate for the increased size andirregularity of the bore when the latter also becomes worn, and hence anew sleeve orlining is excessively loose initially. Moreover,

.looseness of the bearing sleeve or lining,'by

reasonof the resulting increased vibration to which, in use, it issubjected,'frequently causes breakage of the sleeve,'and increasedstrains on the axle or shaft j ournaled therein and on the bolts orscrews which hold the railwa motor'mountings where the axle is gearedthrough intermesh' pinions to the. motor shaft. In order to e iiafialethis caring to operate at maximum efiiciency 0 power transmission,and with minimum wear on the teeth of'the transmission gearing, it isnecesto maintain a fixed relation between the axle and motor shaft axes.Anyloose .ness of the axle bearing sleeve in its journal seat thnds todestroy this relation of the axle and motor shaft axes, and hence toreduce the efliciency of power transmission and to increase the, rate ofwear on the gear teeth, and j to cause objectionable noise and chatterdur-.

satisfactory. Under the torsional strains.

imposed upon. such sleeves through friction between the contactingsurfaces of the axle or shaft and the sleeve or lining within which itrotates, and particularly where the lubrication of such contactingsurfaces is inadeuate, or fails through neglect or otherwise, the dowelpin or key devices are subjected to tremendous strains and wear,andwithin a comparatively short time, or mileage distance of operation,the dowel pins or'keys wear loose and sometimes shear off, and the dowelholes or key seats similarly become worn or elongated, thereby producinglooseness' with all the attendant objections above noted, as

well .as-others. It is amongthe special purposes of my present inventionto provide means which are ex- 4 can be readil and easily applied andadjustsembly of the bearing sleeve in place or its ed, and whic permitsthe ready and easy asremoval when desired, thereby enabling the axle orshaft and motor shaft axes to be maintained in their correct relation tosecure the maximum of efliciency in the transmission of power, and them1n1mum of wear on the gear teeth, and to also secure less noise andchatter in the operation of the motor.

y In order to relieve the shearlng'strain on the bolts which hold thecap on the bearing block it has been the usual practice to insertseveral dowel'pins'b'etween theblo'ck and cap. It has been found,however, that-my inventhus simplifying the construction and manufactureof bearings and thereby reducing the cost of production.

Referring to the drawing, I have shown therein an embodiment wherein Iemploy a bearing sleeve or lining, shown nthisinstance as of thesplit-type, and com osed of the sections 15,16, which are assemb edwith- V m a bore or'seating formed partially inthe housing or frame 17and the cap :18, the latter being secured-to the housing or fra'mein anydesired manner, as, for example, by means of bolts 19, in the usual way.7 In this case I slit the sleeve .and out orform the opposed edges ofthe slit, or the opposed edges-of two.

adjacent sections, in'case of a sleeve of the spht type, along lineswhich are inclined to each other, from a point near the other end,thereb forming a tapered opening between ch ges, the ins of taper thereobeing indieated at 20, 21. This. slot does'not extend all the-way thewhole length of the sleeve.

Instead there are left short lengths or portions of the edge surfaces ofthe sleeve at each end of the tapered slot, as indicated at 22, whichnormallybear against each other, and which in their square faces bearingagainst each other atthe opposite ends of the sleeve,

serve to maintain the proper normal contour and dimensions of thesleeve. The cap 18 is formed on its inner surface with a slot or recess23, which is provided with an ofi-set 24. This slot or recess extendsonly part way 'the length orwidthof the cap and mounted to slide thereinis a slide member 25 having a shoulder 26 which is received and works inthe off-set 24 of saidslot or recess. The slide member 25 is provided onits inner edge with a wedge faced extension 27, the wedge faces of wh1chare received between the tapered edges 20, 21, of the sleeve. Anadjusting screw 28 is threaded through the member 25, sothat by turningsaid screw the member 25 is causedv to travel in. one direction or theother, according to the direction in which the screw is turned, therebycausing the wedge faced portion 27 thereof to forceJt'he tapered edges20, 21, of the sleeve apartor away from each other and. hence expandingthe sleeve cir'cumferentially and causing it to fit tightly against itsbearing surface within the ore in the housing and cap in which it isseated and securely locking said sleeve against looseness and againstaxial displacement. The slide member '25 is shown as having the straightside wall surfaces 30, which fit and slide against the side walls of thechannel 23, while the shoulders 26 of the member 25, engage I,

and slide in 'the off-set 24 of the channel-23. This affords a mosteflicient channel seat for the wedge key member 25, within the channelin the bearing cap'18, while permitting the wedge portion of the key-toproject beyond a the inner surface of the cap 18, and into the tionehminates the necessityfor these dowels,

space between the meeting edges of the sleeve sections 15, 16.

an interlocking engagement of. extended length between 17 and18 andthereby secures a dowel pin engaging effect which is far moreeffectivethan the dowel pins sometimes .used

in structures of this nature, and this also an ablesthe old time dowelpin arrangement to be dispensed with. Practise has demonstrated thevalue of this added function. r From the foregoing description it seenthat I rovide an exceedingly simple arrangement or taking up anylooseness of the shaft or axle bearing sleeve Within its seatmg majournal "box,;and maintaining the same fitted tightly against itsseatingsurface in said journal box, and hol it against rotative movement in itsseat, w e

at the same time permitting the bearing, sleeve ace or to be easily andquickly inserted in p removed. It will also be seen that the tighteningof the bearing sleeve in its seating is accomplished by pressure appliedthereto in the direction of its circumferential surface therebyexpanding such sleeve circumferentially within its seating, and bymeansapplied to'or between the opposed edges of a slit therein, or

between the opposed proximate edges of adjacent sections of the sleeve,the pressure means being retained in its engagement with said edges-andforming additional means to prevent rotativeinovement of the sleeve.

While I have shown my invention asap;

plied to a conventional structure ofjournal box in which the box iscomposed of a frame or housing member 17 and a cap 18 applied thereto,the meeting faces of which lie in a vertical plane, it is to'beunderstood that I am not to be limited or restricted in this respect, asmy invention isequally well adapted for use in other forms,arrangements, structures and types of journal boxes. And while I havedescribedmy invention as applied to railway'motors and their mountings,it is to be understood that I am not-to be limited 'or restricted inthis respect, as my invention-is well adapted for use in connection withjournal boxes and bearingsemployed in other masaid sleeve.

chines and apparatus,

Having now set forth the objects and naturerof my invention, and variousforms of practical embodiments thereof, what I claim as new and useful,and of my own invention, and desire tosec'ureby Letters Patent. is:

1. The combination with a journalbox and abearing sleeve therein havinga slot with longitudinally tapered edges converging to- 'ward one end ofsaid sleeve of a two part member, one of said parts having a wedge withportion disposed in saslot and its other pm being'secured in s idjournal box and means for moving one part of-said member portion in saidslot to expand said sleeve n said box.

' 2. The combination with a journal box and .a bearin sleevethe'rein.having. a slot with longitud nally tapered edges converging toward oneend of said sleeve of a two. partmember one of said partsbein" adaptedto expand said sleeve when moved ongitudi'nal -l thereof, and means for'moving said mov.- a le part the other part of said member 00- operatingwith the movable art and. said .means for varying it to cause t 'e wedgeportionof the member to move in said slot.-

- 3. The combination with a journal boxhaving a keywayextending parallelto the.

axiso th a ebore thereoflan sleeve t the other to' move said wed eshaped 4. The combination with a journal box,

and a split' bearing sleeve seated therein, the

'opposed edges of adjacent sleeve sections be ing relativel inclined, ofa slide member mounted in t e journal box for longitudinal adjustment ina line parallel with the axis of said sleeve and having a wedge portionengaging. between saidinclined edges, and

means to longitudinally adjust said slide m m 5. The comb'nation'with aframe portion and a cap, saidframe andcap cooperating to form a journalbearing, and a longitudinally split. sleeve adapted to be receivedwithin said bearing, of means carried by the cap and adjustable in thedirection of the length and parallel to the axis of the sleeve. andhaving a wedge portion arranged to engage between opposed edges ofadjacent sections of the split ring to impartl'radial expansion to the6. The combination with a frame portion and a cap, said frame andcapcooperating to form a journal bearing, and a longitudinally split sleeveadapted to be received within said bearing, the opposed edges ofadjacent sections of 'said sleeve normally abutting against each otherat their ends' but separated apart intermediate their ends onlongitudinally ex tending lines inclined to each other, of meansengaging between said inclined edges to spread the same a art by movinglongitudinally of the bearing between'sa'id inclined The'conibinationwith a frame portion and a cap, said frame and cap cooperating to form ajourp'al'bearing, and a longitudinally split sleeve adapted to bereceived within said bearing, the opposed edges of adjacent sections ofsaid 'sleevebein inclined relatively to eachother, of a mem er mountedin said cap for adjustment in the directionof the length of' said sleeveand having a wedge clined e gas irection of the length 0 said sleeve.

5 In testimony whereof I have hereunto set hand on' this 22nd.day ofJuly D., 19'24.

JOHN s. newm rna;

portion to extend between said in+ and a screw engaging sa1d;mem-- herto ad ust the same in the

